Hikers will soon be able to explore the Sierra Nevada in California on a 600-mile multiuse trail. Along the way, the trail will reveal gorgeous landscapes, including ancient redwoods, coastal stretches, deserts, pretty mountain towns and more.

Lost Sierra Route in California

Among the most scenic spots in California, the Sierra Nevada mountain range stands out, with its forests, monuments and national parks. The hiking route aims to highlight these sights. It will also take visitors to parts of the Sierras and their surroundings normally off the beaten tourist path.

The project is a joint partnership between the US Forest Service, the nonprofit organization Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship and community partners. It is hoped to revitalize the Sierra Buttes – a gorgeous alpine region of mountain peaks and towns, where the Sierra Nevada meets the Cascades (“the Lost Sierra”) – through a recreation-based industry.

When will the trail launch?

It is expected that the first phase will launch in 2023 with 20 miles of single-track multiuse trails. These will connect the mountain towns of Quincy and Taylorsville. Along the route, hikers will enjoy views of the mountain ranges and down into the Indian Valley.

Meanwhile, the long-term plan is to connect a total of 15 Northern California towns with a slice of Sierra Nevada over the next seven years, ending in a total of 600 miles of trails. The multi-use trails will give people the opportunity for hiking, horse-riding, biking, and moto-riding, as well as activities like wildlife watching, fishing and sightseeing.

For those with less time on their hands, the trail can be broken into smaller sections, but there are also longer and more remote options to choose from.

“It’s not necessarily an A-Z trail,” Trinity Stirling, project coordinator for Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, said. “You can hop between different communities and choose your own adventure. You could visit each mountain town and make a 600-mile loop.”

Establishing the trails

Obviously, there is a lot of work involved in establishing 600 miles of trails. For this reason, the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship has turned to local communities to add to their crew and volunteer teams.

“This past year, in 2021, we ran two professional crews and six youth crews, which was huge coming out of 2020 and COVID-19 when we didn’t run any youth crews,” Stirling continued, adding, “It was very exciting to have [young people] back out on the trail and see their connection with public land. They’re all from the region so they’re working on land in their backyard, working on trails that they can use for the rest of their lives.”

Economic hardship in northeastern California

Recent decades have seen economic hardship in this part of northeastern California. This is unfortunately due to the collapse of the logging and mining industry. However, more recently, wildfires and pandemic-related closures and job losses have also hit hard.

The Connected Communities Project hopes to bring to the region “a vision for a recreation-focused lifestyle through community investment, shared stewardship, economic opportunity, and important new local jobs” via the Lost Sierra Route. The project will also hopefully encourage families to return to the area.

At this moment, the teams are working on expanding smaller sections of the trail. Moreover, this is from the logging and mining routes of the Gold Rush-era mail delivery route. Plans are already in place to create new trails to bring hikers to the mountain towns. Here, they can relax with a coffee or a post-hike meal. If they wish, they can book accommodation for the night, thus further benefiting the small towns.

The project aims to connect other towns along the route. These will include Chester, Downieville, Graeagle, Greenville, Jonesville, Loyalton, Portola, Sierra City, Sierraville, Susanville, Truckee and Westwood. Those towns are in the Plumas and Tahoe national forests, along with Verdi in Nevada.

Readers can follow the project’s progress on the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship’s website for all the latest updates, trail planning and environmental reviews.